Ayatollah (record producer)

Lamont Dorrell, known as Ayatollah is a hip-hop record producer from Queens, New York who has produced for predominantly New York-based rappers including Mos Def, R.A. The Rugged Man, Tragedy Khadafi, Wordsworth, Vast Aire, Afu-Ra, Guru, M.O.P., Inspectah Deck, Cormega, Ghostface Killah as well as many others. R.A. the Rugged Man had said in an interview that he was the first person to ever buy a beat from Ayatollah. Broadly speaking Ayatollah's production encompasses a soulful, authentic east coast hip-hop sound which has brought him steady success and acclaim since the late 1990s.

Biography

Ayatollah first received main-stream recognition after producing Rawkus rapper Mos Def's hit Ms. Fat Booty, the first single off his Black on Both Sides album;^[1] whilst subsequently receiving a gold plaque for probably his most well-known track to date, Styles P's hit "The Life" featuring Organized Konfusion legend Pharoahe Monch, which appeared on the Rawkus Records compilation Soundbombing III.

Ayatollah is a favoured producer of many Queensbridge MCs in particular, and after working with Cormega on Rap's a Hustle on his debut The Realness, the latter spoke of working on a subsequent album produced solely by Ayatollah, an eagerly awaited project which has since failed to transpire.

He has released nine instrumental albums, 2003's unofficial debut So Many Reasons to Rhyme and since then in 2006, Listen, on Nomadic Wax, Now Playing on Nature Sounds, and The Quixotic. He has also worked with hip hop legend Rakim on an unreleased song from The Wash soundtrack entitled A Cold Feeling.

His production has also featured on a flurry of releases over the first half of this decade and he has since collaborated with Brooklyn newcomer Okai on the album Dekonstruktion of the Mind, a well-received 2006 debut entirely produced by Ayatollah. He recently became the producer for the group T.H.U.G. Angelz, with Wu-Tang Clan affiliates Hell Razah and Shabazz the Disciple.

Discography

Albums

• So Many Reasons to Rhyme (2003)
• Personal Legend Vol.1 (2003)
• Listen (2006)
• Now Playing (2006) Nature Sounds
• Louder (2008)
• Drum Machine (2008) Nature Sounds
• The Quixotic Remix EP (2010)
• The Quixotic (2010) Nature Sounds
• Cocoon (2010) Nature Sounds
• Live From The MPC 60 (2010) Nature Sounds
• Fingertips (2011) Nature Sounds
• Avant Garde (2013) Elementality Productions
• Be Real Black For Me (2014) Elementality Productions
• Who Is My Soul Brother? (2015) Day By Day Entertainment

Production

• Big Noyd, Large Professor, Kool G Rap "Naturally Born" (2014)
• Illa Ghee "Talking In A 3rd Person" (Social Graffiti, 2014)
• Vast Aire "Red Pill Feat. Karniege" (Best Of The Best Vol. 1, 2013)
• One Dae "Daes & Times Feat. C-Rayz Walz" (Daes & Times, 2013)
• J-Love "Outdoors Postcards", "As If I Was the Last" (Pardon My Intrusion, 2013)
• Killah Priest "Super God" (The Psychic World of Walter Reed) (2013)
• Apathy "School for Scoundrels Feat. Celph Titled" (2012)
• Moka Only Bridges (Entire Album) (2012)
• Satchel Page "Young Patriarch" (Entire Album) (2010)
• Cormega "Rapture" (2009)
• Traum "Hip Hop Feat. Big Noyd" (Mad Dreamz, 2009)
• Traum "Blast Off Feat. Lil' Fame of M.O.P. and Cormega" (Mad Dreamz, 2009)
• Sean Price "Crazy" (2007)
• Saul Abraham - Love's Gonna Flow (2007)
• eMC "Four Brothers" (2007)
• Okai Dekonstruktion of the Mind (Entire Album) (2006)
• Tragedy Khadafi "No Equivalent" (Thug Matrix, 2005)
• Sean Price "Spliff N Wessun" (Monkey Barz, 2005)
• Saigon "Do You Know" (Do You Know EP, 2005)
• R.A. The Rugged Man "Chains", "Make Luv Outro" (Die Rugged Man Die, 2004)
• Wordsworth "Right Now", "Evol" (Mirror Music, 2004)
• Cormega "Bring it Back" (Legal Hustle, 2004)
• Vast Aire "Elixir" (Look Mom...No Hands, 2004)
• The Last Emperor "Karma", "Tiger Trail" (Music, Magic, Myth, 2003)
• Inspectah Deck "The Movement", "Who Got It", "Shorty Right There", "Vendetta", "That Nigga" (The Movement, 2003)
• Afu-Ra "Think Before You..." (Life Force Radio, 2002)
• R.A. The Rugged Man "You Don't Wanna Fuck Wit" (2002)
• Royce Da 5'9" "Life" (Rock City (Version 2.0), 2002)
• Styles P & Pharoahe Monch "My Life" (Soundbombing III, 2002)
• Talib Kweli "Joy", "The Proud" (Quality, 2002)
• Screwball 4 tracks (Loyalty, 2001)
• Cormega "Rap's a Hustle" (The Realness, 2001)
• Ghostface Killah "WTC Pt. 2"
• Guru "Cry" (Baldhead Slick & Da Click, 2001)
• Tragedy Khadafi "Lift Ya Glass" (Against All Odds, 2001)
• Masta Ace "Hold U" (Disposable Arts, 2001)
• Mos Def "Ms. Fat Booty 2" (Lyricist Lounge 2, 2000)
• Cella Dwellas "Game of Death" (The Last Shall Be First, 2000)
• Mos Def "Ms. Fat Booty", "Know That" (Black on Both Sides, 1999)
• Ilacoin, Labba, Black Rob "By a Stranger" (2000)

References